Savage dirrerence between UK and Ireland Phone company charges

weefarmer

sorry if this has been brought up before

i have just been looking through the difference between the prices for bill pay here and in the uk, on an 18 month contract for £40 you will get 900 minutes and unlimited texts and all o2-o2 communication is free, and here on the same contract and roughly the same cost ~€49 you only get 350 minutes, 150 texts and a free add on.

my question is how can they get away with robbing us and the only difference between us is a line on a map?

http://shop.o2.co.uk/tariffs/18_months

http://www.o2online.ie/o2/shop/plans/

helimachoptor

To be simple economies of scale, greater competition and currency.

Dan_Solo

weefarmer wrote: »

my question is how can they get away with robbing us and the only difference between us is a line on a map?

There's an easy answer to that... Because everybody keeps paying for it!

dhaumi

helimachoptor wrote: »

To be simple economies of scale, greater competition and currency.

People should stop thinking it all comes down to that. It's up to the government to create and encourage competition, up to people to shop around and possibly vote for the right people...

helimachoptor

dhaumi wrote: »

People should stop thinking it all comes down to that. It's up to the government to create and encourage competition, up to people to shop around and possibly vote for the right people...

Competition is there, this year An Post, E-mobile, and that Just Mobile (i think) have become MVNO's, Tesco is also an MVNO, next year there will be another 2 MVNO's for sure and probably more.
So that will be 8 networks minimum with probably 12 or more by this time next year.

Ghandee

helimachoptor wrote: »

Competition is there, this year An Post, E-mobile, and that Just Mobile (i think) have become MVNO's, Tesco is also an MVNO, next year there will be another 2 MVNO's for sure and probably more.
So that will be 8 networks minimum with probably 12 or more by this time next year.

All this means nothing if they all try and offer the same mediocre tariffs (as they are nearly all doing now)

The only real value, and great service out there currently is 3 Ireland imho.
Want great service, free good phone, at up to half the monthly bill your paying now?

go to 3!

Maental2000

helimachoptor wrote: »

Competition is there, this year An Post, E-mobile, and that Just Mobile (i think) have become MVNO's, Tesco is also an MVNO, next year there will be another 2 MVNO's for sure and probably more.
So that will be 8 networks minimum with probably 12 or more by this time next year.

How do you know there's going to be another 2 MVNOs next year?

helimachoptor

Maental2000 wrote: »

How do you know there's going to be another 2 MVNOs next year?

Insider knowledge

Davy

Gucky wrote: »

The only real value, and great service out there currently is 3 Ireland imho.
Want great service, free good phone, at up to half the monthly bill your paying now?

go to 3!

If they are so good, why do you think have they still less then 3% of phone users?

Ghandee

Davy wrote: »

If they are so good, why do you think have they still less then 3% of phone users?

Meh,

Prob because (unfortunately) muck sticks.
3, rightly or wrongly they had a rep of poor coverage, I can't comment on this though as I've only been with them since late August. For the record though, I find the coverage way superior to what I got with o2.

Also, don't forget 3 are still relatively new to the Irish market compared to the likes of o2 and vodafone.

What I personally can vouch for though, is the perfect coverage I get, the FIVE THOUSAND FREE MINS TO UK NETWORKS
Free roaming in the UK to answer our receive calls while on the 3 network (and any other country in the world with a three network)
And the fact that they got my monthly bill down from 260 a month with o2, to 95-110 a month now.
No matter how you look at that reduction, that is some going!

From what I'm hearing, 3 will soon be market leaders with people (fed up being ripped off) are flocking to them in the thousands!

Just to add, I've no connections with three. Just a satisfied customer, but make no bones about it, if I got a better deal tomorrow, I'd be gone!

With the other lame packages available here though, that's not bloody likely!

Elessar

OP, three do a the same deal for €30 a month bill pay (30 day rolling contract too) - 350 "units" (1 unit = 1 min, 1 unit also = 2 texts), a free addon of 150 extra texts or free landline/weekend calls and 2GB of internet.

You can't beat it. No way would I pay the prices for the same tariff O2 are charging.

Ghandee

Elessar wrote: »

OP, three do a the same deal for €30 a month bill pay (30 day rolling contract too) - 350 "units" (1 unit = 1 min, 1 unit also = 2 texts), a free addon of 150 extra texts or free landline/weekend calls and 2GB of internet.

You can't beat it. No way would I pay the prices for the same tariff O2 are charging.

Honestly, (most) 3's the cheapest by a country mile!

I personally get, unlimited texts and calls to all Irish networks and landlines.
Plus, 10,000 flexi units (1 unit = .5 mins to uk mobiles)
And 2gb of internet allowance.

95 euro a month imcluding vat!

Davy

Gucky wrote: »

From what I'm hearing, 3 will soon be market leaders with people (fed up being ripped off) are flocking to them in the thousands!

Well vodafone got over double the amount of new customers than three got in the past year so im not too sure about that

BigAliens

Gucky wrote: »

Honestly, (most) 3's the cheapest by a country mile!

I personally get, unlimited texts and calls to all Irish networks and landlines.
Plus, 10,000 flexi units (1 unit = .5 mins to uk mobiles)
And 2gb of internet allowance.

95 euro a month imcluding vat!

Whoever explained that to you was slightly mistaken..........

one minute on a UK call = 1 unit
T&C's are you can use up to 50% of your units for uk calls i.e 5000 units per month on UK calls